Gilani explains the necklace story

ISLAMABAD: Senior vice chairman of Pakistan People’s Party and former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani expressed the fear that the government was planning to institute another case against him on the issue of the necklace gifted to him by the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in 2010.
He, however, declared that he and his family were not afraid of cases and jail. Talking to The News he said that he had excellent relations with the family of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and he always addressed the first lady of Turkey as his sister. In the wake of 2010 floods she expressed the desire to gift her necklace to a flood-affected bride. “I visited Sindh to give the necklace to a bride but found that there were eight women going to be married. I was told that the market price of the necklace was not more than Rs2 lakh. In such a situation I was advised to give Rs2 lakh each to all the eight couples. I followed the advice.”
Yusuf Raza Gilani said that he had discretionary funds of crores of rupees and the payment might have been made from that. He further said that the necklace was a souvenir from a lady whom he considered just like his real sister. Asked whether he was entitled to retain the necklace, he said that such a gift to prime ministers on foreign tours is a norm. He was told that FIA is seized of the matter and they might investigate into the matter, to which he said that he desired to return the gift to the wife of President Erdogan of Turkey if he chanced to visit that country. “If the government so desires, it can keep it in the PM House. However if it wants to initiate a case, I and my family are not afraid of cases. I am ready to face any case,” he concluded.
INP adds: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) following the directives of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has started the investigation into issue of disappearance of an expensive necklace, donated by the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the flood-hit people of Pakistan in 2010.
The necklace had gone missing from the warehouse of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) after which the interior minister had ordered FIA to investigate the missing of necklace.